Captured
by xxMECxx
Summary: Jeff Kinley is a regular 15 year old mermaid, going to school and making friends when his curiosity gets him captured by humans. He's taken away from the life he knows to be the main attraction at a marine park and forced to perform or he won't get to eat. Read as he lives under the control of humans and science. !JeffMermaid !NonCon in later CH's
1. So it begins

**Hello and welcome to a new story on my channel! I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think in a comment.**

 **Disclaimer - I do NOT own any familiar characters featured in this story, I do however own any original characters mentioned and the story idea**

* * *

Jeff Kinley left the school with his friend Aaron swimming beside him. "The mating for us sounds SO painful." Aaron announced and the two 15 year olds winced, clenching their stomachs as they remembered their teacher's description.

"Yeah, we have to be in that 10% of males region. It sucks that we have a womb instead of junk." Jeff muttered his reply and Aaron nodded with a scowl. "Let's go grab food then go exploring." Aaron nodded with a smirk and Jeff leant closer to his ear. "I heard there's a new ship wreck a mile away from the city walls." He whispered excitedly and Aaron grinned.

"Let's go then!" He exclaimed before swimming forward, Jeff laughing as he caught up quickly. "Hey mom." Aaron greeted his mother as they swam through the door. His mother greeted the boys and pointed at two plates on the table, ordering them to eat all of the food before they left the house again.

They ate the food given to them quickly, both eager to finish so they could explore the ship wreck. "Thanks mom, I'll be back before dark." Aaron called as they left the house and swam to the east of Atlantis, leaving the city walls and swimming through barren sea before a large ship wreck came into view. "Wow, that's so cool!" He exclaimed happily.

"Race ya there." Jeff challenged before flying towards the ship, Aaron close behind him. Jeff slipped through a broken window and looked around his surroundings curiously, his head tilting when he saw a pile of small cave like things. "Aaron?" He called and his friend joined him a few seconds later. "What do you think these are? I remember a picture of them from class, but I wasn't listening to what they are." He admitted and Aaron laughed.

He swam to the pile and touched one, moving it slightly and swimming backwards when one end opened while the end he picked up opened. "That's weird." He announced absently. "I think the humans call them traps." Jeff swam to one on the other side of the room, looking into a trap with one end clamped shut. "Careful Jeff, I asked my mom what they were and she wouldn't tell me, but she said to be careful around them because they're dangerous."

Jeff looked over his shoulder at his friend. "How? They're not moving at all, I'm sure we can swim away from one of these." He asked in disbelief, not understanding how a stationary object could be dangerous. Aaron shrugged his shoulders before looking at the wall, picking up interlocked seaweed that clanked together while Jeff returned to looking into the trap. He scoffed before laying it on the floor, he could inspect it better on his stomach. "Wow." He breathed in awe as light shimmered through the gaps and danced inside the trap, making a dead fish noticeable and Jeff's stomach growled in response. "Do you think my mom would be mad if I had a fish snap?" He rolled his eyes when Aaron laughed at the question.

Jeff smiled and slowly floated into the trap, his shoulders barely fitting through the opening. "This thing sure is tight." He spoke absently as he got closer to his destination. He was a few inches away from the other end of the trap before a heavy feeling settled in his stomach, something about this didn't feel safe. He shook his head and pushed himself backwards, nearly out of the trap before he bit his lip and swam back in for the fish. "Can't hurt anything apart from my weight." He muttered to himself as he pulled the fish towards him, frowning when there was a resistance half way to him.

"Come on, I don't think we should be he-" Aaron stopped himself when he only saw the end of Jeff's emerald green tail. "Jeff! Get out of there!" He shouted.

Jeff jumped at Aaron's voice, pulling the fish backwards before sliding filled the room. "What was that?" Jeff called to his friend as he pushed himself backwards, frowning when something stopped him. He looked over his shoulder and saw the other end of the trap closed behind him, Aaron's shocked face contorted by the gaps. "Very funny, open that thing and let's go like you want." Jeff sighed. "Aaron?" He asked when the other boy didn't move. "Anyone home?" He joked and rolled his eyes when there still wasn't an answer. He turned in the trap with a struggle and pushed the once open end, confused when there was no movement. "Nice joke Aaron, now open this thing." Sarcasm dripped from every word and Aaron finally snapped to reality.

The other boy pulled against the end, pulling harder when the end didn't budge. "Pull when I push." Jeff ordered with exasperation and the pair tried to open the trap with all their strength, Jeff's breath picking up when they didn't make any progress. "Why did you close this thing Aaron?" He asked as he rattled the trap, trying to find another weakness.

"I didn't close it! I was by that wall!" Aaron defended himself as he pulled the trap, the end keeping closed as the trap was dragged across the floor slightly.

Jeff's eyes widened and he shook with fear. "W-What do we do? I-I can't get out." He stuttered as he stared at Aaron, seeing reflected fear on his friends face. "Aaron, Aaron please get me out of here." Jeff begged as his fear quickly turned to panic, making him shake the trap harder.

"It's not opening." Aaron said needlessly. "I-I'll go and get my mom! She'll know what to do." Jeff stared at Aaron like he was crazy. "I know we'll get in trouble, but you can't get out right now, and I can't help you at all." Jeff bit his lip and nodded, threading his fingers through the gaps and Aaron put his hands over them. "I'll be back soon." He promised before swimming to the door, looking back at Jeff before sighing as he left the room and ship.

* * *

 **Thank you for reaching the bottom of the page, it would be highly appreciated if you let me know what you think in a comment and I'll see you all next time, bye guys .0/**

 **If you would like to request a story let me know in a comment or PM me, or if you just want to talk PM me :p**


	2. Discoveries

Jeff watched his friend go and breathed shakily as he lowered himself to the floor, trying to calm his racing heart as he rubbed his face. He looked around him and the shimmering light slowly faded as the sun began to leave the sky. The light was blocked by something suddenly and Jeff panicked, he was terrified of the dark and there was no way for him to get into the light from his current position. He punched the trap rapidly and screamed as he shook it violently. "WHY! WON'T! YOU! OPEN?" He screamed as he alternated between shaking the cage and punching it.

He growled with frustration and only stopped when he ran out of breath. A groaning sounded from above him and he knew from experience that something had hit the ship. "Aaron?" Jeff called quietly and swallowed when the only answer was more groaning from the ship. He pushed himself backwards when four figures entered the room.

The recovery divers paid no attention to the traps as they looked around the room for anything of importance. "Pack the chains and tools into the bag, then we'll get the traps outside to be dragged up." The head diver ordered and the workers nodded, two swimming to the piled up cages while the other pair collected the hooks, chains, knives and other items before packing them in three large bags.

Jeff watched quietly as the divers moved things from the room, his body trembling violently as fear coursed through his body and mind. He held his breath when clanging filled his ears from hook being placed on the trap walls around him, his eyes widening when the trap was pulled forward and out of the room. He took a deep breath when the interlocked seaweed was put over a HUGE hook that opened before a diver shook the thick seaweed before swimming towards the surface, the traps being pulled upwards seconds later.

"No." Jeff breathed and moved in the trap, pushing against the already closed end and whimpering when it didn't move at all. He looked over his shoulder and the surface got closer, making him increase his effort to open the trap and a sob escaped his mouth when he heard the other end of the trap breach the surface behind him. "This isn't happening." He denied reality and clamped his eyes when the trap was fully out of the water, droplets of water falling to the ocean as the strong arm pulled the traps over the ship deck.

"We got everything! Move out!" The head diver shouted while the traps were slowly lowered and released with a crash as they connected with the deck.

Jeff gasped as his trap fell onto its side and others piled on top of it with a crash. He listened to voices around him and recognised a few words from his schooling. He watched with controlled slow breaths as the number of traps above him decreased as they were stacked neatly. He swallowed the lump in his throat when the last trap was taken from on top of his, revealing him to the crew and the crew to him.

"Is that a mermaid?" A voice exclaimed and Jeff hissed in reply. "I thought they were made up." More voices joined his as news spread and soon every crew member were staring at the terrified teenager. "What do we do? We still have a week's trip to do."

The captain stared at the mermaid and bit his cheek, deep in thought. "Put him in the tank downstairs while we do our trip. I'll see what I can do with it while we work." He ordered with finality before leaving the deck, knowing that his crew would do what he told them to.

Jeff whimpered as the trap was dragged across the deck before being slid down steps, forcing a fearful cry as he reached the bottom with a bang. The trap was dragged further into the room before four crew members struggled to lift the trap before the end opposite him was opened, the trap tilted upwards where he was so he was tipped out of the trap and into 6 foot deep tank with barely an inch of water on the bottom. He quickly turned onto his back and saw the four humans looking down at him with fear. "What do you want with me?" He asked, wanting his voice to sound confident but he cringed when it shook and cracked with every word. Shock covered the crew's faces when the mermaid spoke to them. They looked at each other before picking up a metal grate, putting it over the tank and securing it with 5 tonne bricks. "Wait!" Jeff called before the humans left the room.

The teenager took in his surroundings and covered his face when he saw stained blood on the walls. He bit his lip and held back tears as he was left alone, stiffening when a shadow covered him. "My crew said you could speak." The captain started and Jeff nodded slowly. "Ok, do you have any questions?"

Jeff studied the man's face and swallowed before speaking. "W-What do you want with me?" He stuttered and the captain smiled with glee.

"Personally I have no use for you." He admitted. "That doesn't mean that you're not mine. I've contacted an aquarium and they're _very_ interested in having a mermaid display." Jeff had heard about them before, they held animals in tanks and forced into the public eye. "You've made me a millionaire by trapping yourself." Jeff was uneasy at the smirk plastered on the man's face. "Enjoy your stay with us and get used to this, this'll be your life from now on."

Jeff watched the man leave for a moment before a thick blanket was used to cover the tank, bringing a fearful whimper from his throat as the words sunk in. The thing that scared Jeff is that he knew the man was telling the truth, he wouldn't be returning to his family and friends if his human lessons were true.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff wrapped his arms around his waist and closed his eyes, sighing sadly as he leant his head against the tank. He'd been held in the tank for about a week if his estimation was right, during what must have been the day the deck above him was bustling with activity while later the activity stopped as the crew and himself slept.

He looked upwards when the blanket was moved and the captain's figure came into view. "Had a good journey?" He asked with a smirk and laughed when Jeff hissed at him. "Good news, you're getting out of this tank now." A smile played on Jeff's lips. "Don't be too happy, when we dock a trainer will be picking you up to take to your home. The kicker is that your home is a 12 hour flight from here." The captain laughed as he watched the words sink into the mermaid's brain, his lips slowly turning to a frown before he stared upwards with fear.

The captain looked behind him as two of his team walked in, catch poles and chains in their hands. "How should we do this?" An older man with a stern face asked. "Put this around the neck and hold it down while we chain the hands and shut him up?" The captain liked that plan so he nodded his head with approval. "I need you two to move the grate so I can get the pole in, when it's around the neck I'll pull him up and you sit on its back John." The younger man nodded as moved into position.

Jeff watched two humans stand on either side of the tank before pulling it open slightly and he prepared himself to jump out, to escape. He frowned when a pole lowered to him and touched it curiously with his right hand. He looked upwards and saw the captain nod to an older man before there was pressure around his wrist that pulled upwards. NO!" Jeff screamed as he pulled his arm downwards, trying to dislodge his wrist from the poles grasp with no results. His shoulder ached as he was lifted into the air, twisting his body around before he pulled himself up when his free hand touched the edge of the tank.

He slid out of the tank onto his stomach before he tried to get to the open door, the pole around his hand stopping him. He hissed at the pole and pulled against it violently before he rocked his body as the younger man sat on his back. "Get off me!" He growled as something tightened around his left wrist before his right wrist was released from the pole, quickly secured to his left so his arms were trapped behind his back.

He hissed loudly with an open mouth, growling when a cloth was forced into his mouth and tightened around the back of his head. He glared at every human around him, trying to sit up but was stopped when he couldn't move his arms. "Temper, temper." The captain spoke sarcastically and smirked when a growl rumbled in Jeff's chest. The ship began to slow before it jolted to a halt. "Time to get you packed nicely for your new home."

The older man grabbed Jeff's tail and pulled him backwards before wrapping a chain around his tail tightly, lifting the chain upwards so Jeff was extended from the floor painfully by his tail. He hauled himself upwards and tried to get the chain off his tail before a brown sack encompassed his body, the sack double knotted closed before it was put into a plastic transport crate with freezing water inside to keep the mermaids tail moist. The two crew members pushed the crate up the stairs and onto the loud, bustling upper deck. The captain walked off the ship and towards a move it van holding two animal trainers. "Morning." The captain greeted them and they returned the greeting. "I understand your boss made an agreement with me, here are images that I have of him and he's ready for you to take." He explained quickly as he handed the trainers three sheets of A4 paper with different pictures of the teenager.

"Thank you, would you be able to get him onto the van please?" The woman asked with a smile as she looked at the pictures, her eyes widening as she saw the authenticity of the images before her.

After 20 minutes payments had been made to the captain and the trainers were driving towards the airport, signing a notice that they had a live animal in cargo before boarding their flight and looking over the images in their hands.

Jeff moved in the sack and held his breath as voices shouted around him, banging on the crate before the roaring of the airplane engines filled his ears. Jeff struggled and thrashed in fear of the noise, his hearing highly sensitive from his years of hunting fish.

After an hour of constant struggles he slowly ran out of energy, resting his head on the floor and closing his eyes as he breathed heavily. His body trembled in fear but exhaustion took over his mind as he fell into a deep, restless slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Jeff woke up with an ache in his head, burning limbs and a dry mouth from the cloth. He moved slightly and groaned when the restraints around his wrists dug into his skin and the soaked sack stuck to his tail painfully while the dry, brittle part dug into his bare chest. Whatever he was on hit something and he felt the movement get slower before finally stopping, a whooshing following soon after before things around him were moved.

"Wonder what's in that crate." A voice spoke, muffled by the crate and sack the mermaid was currently in. "Says that it's wild, probably something marine because of the water in there." The crate was moved and the water sloshed inside the crate. Jeff listened for any noise that sounded familiar to him but nothing stood out, he couldn't even hear the ocean.

Outside the crate the trainers collected their backpack luggage and quickly picked up the SeaWorld van, driving towards the cargo area to pick up their new attraction. "Hi, we're here to pick up the live cargo." The female trainer told the workers with a smile, filling in the paperwork she was given quickly and handing it back to the worker. "Can you get it into the van? I don't think me and my partner will be able to lift it ourselves." She asked with a laugh and five minutes later the crate was safely loaded and secured in the SeaWorld van.

The male trainer pulled out of the car park and joined the fast road easily. "Wonder what they'll have a mermaid do." He thought out loud. "I never thought that we'd be driving to work with a mermaid Jess, I didn't even think they were real." He laughed with a grin, slowing down because of road works.

"Yeah, we'll have the first mermaid exhibit." Jess pointed out with excitement before she looked at her hands. "I wonder what they're going to do. We'll have to tell the government about it, and what will they want with him?" The male trainer shrugged a shoulder and the pair sat in silence as they drove to the marine park, hearing dull splashes of water and thuds as something hit the plastic crate.

They arrived at SeaWorld and drove into their back warehouse where a temporary tank had been set up a day after they received a call about the mermaid while they built a new enclosure to show off their new prize, planning on keeping him on full display at all times for research purposes as well as attracting more visitors and increasing their own salaries.

The park owner greeted them when they got out of the van before walking quickly to the back of the van, opening the doors and spotting the plastic crate. "Bring the ramp over, we'll slide the crate out and open it by our tank." He ordered and everyone was quick to follow, wanting to see for themselves that they had a mermaid in their possession.

Jeff held his breath as the crate tipped and skid down something before it was laid flat again, swaying as it left the floor and stopped. Jeff listened to different voices and the foreign sounds around him before the floor under him disappeared and he fell through the air before splashing into cold water. The temperature hit him quickly before he thrashed in the sack, trying to break free and get away from where he was. The sack was pulled upwards before something glinted in front of Jeff's face and the sack was torn open, allowing Jeff to quickly escape its hold and dive to the bottom of the tank. He swam across the bottom and was shocked when he hit something clear, taking time to finally look around him.

He looked at what must have been 50 humans staring at him with wide eyes, all of them shocked that there was actually a mermaid in the tank in front of them. Jeff's muscles locked and he tried to bring his hands in front of him in a built in defence posture but he couldn't due to the restraints. He was pulled upwards by something around his tail that he hadn't noticed before then. He growled as he reached the surface, turned onto his back by a hook around his wrists restraints. The gag was cut from the back of his head and he hissed loudly, pulling his hands forward as soon as they were free and pulling himself towards the human holding his tail before dropping into the water when his tail was released. He sunk to the bottom before shooting upwards to grab the human but pulled away suddenly when he noticed thick bars separating his exit and the rest of the warehouse.

Once his heart calmed slightly he became aware of the ache in his shoulders, spine and tail. He stretched his arms forward before doing the same for his back and finally his tail, feeling the bones loosen from their locked position and he sighed happily when his back clicked slightly. He pushed himself away from the humans and studied each of them quickly, seeing the shocked look on their faces.

"It's actually real." He turned to see a woman with her hands to her mouth before she rested a hand on the tank. He stayed still and soon the humans began to leave the warehouse to do their jobs, the woman stayed and stared as Jeff slowly started to swim across the side of the tank and keeping away from the humans. He sighed and let himself sink to the floor, resting his head on his arms as he thought about his friends and family. He looked up suddenly when there was shuffling on the opposite side of the tank and he saw the same woman sitting down and watching him. He tilted his head and saw that there was no other humans around before pushing himself upwards slightly, moving himself towards the human with slow and calculated flicks of his tail. He stopped a few inches from the glass and watched as the woman slowly moved her hand upwards before splaying her hand flat against the glass, watching as Jeff stared intently before raising the same hand and resting it over hers as he looked straight at her.


	5. Chapter 5

The woman smiled before her head snapped to the right when the warehouse door opened. "Come on Hazel, we need to move Tilly to the maternity tank in here." Hazel nodded and watched as her co-worker left before looking back to the mermaid, sighing sadly as she saw fear in his eyes from the opposite end of the tank.

Jeff watched the woman leave before he was truly alone in the warehouse. He closed his eyes and slowly began to swim around the tank, it was all he could do seeing as there was nothing in there with him apart from water. He listened as a high pitched whistle got closer to the warehouse before it deafened him as a dolphin was quickly wheeled into the warehouse before being put into a shallow tank close to his own, the dolphin swimming around quickly and accepting a fish offered to it. Jeff held his stomach as it growled loudly at the sight of the food, unconsciously moving towards the dolphin and food.

Hazel fed Tilly and watched her swim around with a smile, she was getting ready to have her calf and it would be the first birth that she witnessed. She stood up and looked over her shoulder to the mermaid's tank, seeing him by the glass and looking at the bucket she held in her hand. She walked to the tank and saw him flinch but staying where he was, watching the fish bucket intently. She climbed the stairs to the top of the tank and looked through the bars into the tank, seeing that the mermaid was just below the surface and looking upwards. She pulled a fish out of the bucket and was shocked when the mermaid pushed himself out of the water, grabbing for the fish before falling back into the water. She dropped a fish and watched as he grabbed it with both hands, sinking to the floor before he bit into the fish stomach.

Jeff bit into the fish and closed his eyes at the taste, pacing himself although he could have easily inhaled the food after not being fed at all on the ship. He picked the bones clean before swimming to the surface, hoping the human would drop some more fish for him. His head broke the surface and he saw the woman looking down at him. "P-Please, hungry." He begged weakly and the woman shuffled backwards with shock.

"Y-You can speak." She breathed and Jeff nodded before his soft request processed in her head as she turned to pick up another fish, dropping it through the bars and smiled when the mermaid hummed his thanks before retreating to the bottom to eat. She looked at the four small fish in the bucket before throwing them into the tank, watching as the boy grabbed them hastily and put them on the floor beside him before devouring the fish he held.

Jeff watched the woman leave the warehouse, closing the door behind her before a loud noise echoed off the walls and left a ringing in Jeff's ear. He waited for a few minutes before turning his attention back to the fish, eating them before resting a hand on his satisfied stomach. He looked around the surroundings before his eyes rested on the dolphin swimming circles in the tank close to him. "Hello?" He called.

The dolphin ceased her round and looked towards the voice, seeing a human with a tail. "Who are you? What are you doing in there? What are you?" She asked. "The humans call me Tilly."

"I'm Jeff, I'm a mermaid." He answered the questions with a small smile, he wasn't completely alone after all. "I don't know why I'm here, I got stuck in one of the human traps in a ship wreck and this is the result." He explained shortly, biting his lip as he thought about that day and how stupid he'd been. "I should have listened to my friend, he told me not to go in there because it was dangerous." He sighed sadly. "He left to get his mother, they didn't make it back in time and I was taken onto a ship and kept in something like this without water. A week later and here I am." He finished bitterly as his breath shook with held back tears.

Tilly felt sorry for the mermaid. "I was born here, Hazel is a good human. She was the one who fed us, she cares about us."

"She did stay here until she just left." Jeff mused before the pair stayed in silence, both falling asleep.

Jeff woke with a start and hissed blindly as humans walked in, speaking loudly as they got closer to Jeff's tank. Hazel smiled as she stopped by the tank, waving at him before putting a bucket on the floor. She turned to Tilly and greeted her happily, picking up a stick with a red mark and holding it to the side. "Touch." She ordered and rewarded Tilly when she hit the red mark, moving the stick further up and asking for the same thing and rewarding when it was followed.

Jeff watched the display and cowered when a gap in the bars above his tank appeared and the park owner stood above him with one of his experienced trainers. The trainer hovered a pole with a red mark barely above the surface and Jeff stared at it from his position at the bottom of the tank. "Touch." The commanding voice broke through the water and Jeff made no move to follow the order. The mark was lowered into the water and the command came again, Jeff slowly swimming towards the mark and inspecting it from a safe distance before reaching out hesitantly. He took a breath and lightly pushed the stick, backing away and grabbing the fish piece dropped in front of him. He ate the fish and looked upwards, seeing the mark barely in the water. "Touch." Jeff swam towards the mark slowly, diving under it before pushing it and catching the fish piece dropped in front of him again.

Jeff spend a few hours learning the touch trick, fully engaged as he was rewarded and was given something to do. He was confident enough to touch the mark when it was two foot out of the water but he didn't trust having more than his chest out of the water at once. The trainer who'd worked with him left the warehouse alone, the owner had left an hour before. Hazel walked to his tank and put a hand against the glass, smiling as Jeff returned the gesture slowly but faster than it had been the day before. "I'll see you both tomorrow." She promised as she left with a wave, pulling the shutters down outside and Jeff barely flinched.

He swam in circles for a while before Tilly called him. "You picked up on the touch fast." She commented.

"I guess I did, I watched you do it so I did what you did." He explained, surprised himself that he'd picked the trick so quickly. The pair talked for a while before they fell asleep, repeating the events of that day when they woke up.


	6. Chapter 6

Two months had passed since Jeff had been captured and seven weeks since he'd started his training at SeaWorld. He held to the bars in his tank and held himself rigidly as a collar was placed around his neck, climbing out and waiting on a wooden marker for the chain to be attached. "Good boy." Hazel praised him happily and fed him a piece of fish. She pulled the lead slightly and Jeff followed her, pulling himself forward as his tail couldn't help him.

It was a late Sunday evening when Jeff was led into a huge pool with markers and hoops extended 15 foot above the water. Jeff was ordered into a holding space barely big enough for him to fit and he stiffened when music began to play loudly, listening as clicks and whistles mixed with the music before the music started to build. The thin bars in front of him disappeared and his lead was pulled lightly, commanding him to leave the space and he followed a mark as it moved through the water rapidly. He followed it to the bottom of the pool before swimming to the surface rapidly, flying upwards and easily touching the 15 foot high marker before diving back into the pool and following the marker again.

He revelled in the activity and performed each trick sharply, enjoying the challenge presented and praise he received from Hazel. He slid onto the plastic island and lowered himself to the floor, lifting the bottom half of his tail high and holding the pose while Hazel and other trainers cheered as the nearly flawless rehearsal. "Should we try him without the chain? The boss wants to use him in a show tomorrow when we have the news crew here." Jess asked and there was hesitation from every trainer, he listened to their instructions in his 'temporary' tank and on the end of a chain but would he listen off the chain?

"I guess we could, lock all the doors and cover any openings so he's in here if he jumps the pool wall." Hazel answered slowly, leading Jeff back to his holding area before unlatching the chain from his collar. "Please listen to us boy." She begged before closing the entrance and walking to her post, starting the music a few seconds before it reached Jeff's que. The bars lowered and Jeff swam out freely, diving to the bottom after his mark before flying out of the water easily and performing each trick easily. The trainers cheered and high fived as the routine finished with no faults seen, everyone happily relieved that Jeff was so focussed on his mark that he hadn't tried to escape.

Jeff listened to the cheers and looked to Hazel when ice scraped at the bottom of her bucket. He quickly ate the fish presented to him and slipped into the water when Hazel motioned to it. He slowly swam freely in the water, finally realising that there was nothing stopping him from leaving the pool. He dove to the bottom and rested there as he thought about his life now, all he was doing was swimming around in a tank and performing.

He bit his lip and his mind wondered to his home in the sea, to his mother and friends. His heart ached at the memories but he snapped to attention when Hazel whistled for him, swimming to the surface and sliding onto the island to allow the chain being attached to his collar. He felt water against the end of his tail and smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he quickly scooped water over Hazel, shocking the trainers before they burst into laughter.

"You're getting a cheeky boy." Hazel laughed as she brushed water off her arms, happy to see the young mermaid smiling shyly at the positive attention. "Let's get you back." She spoke with a smile and Jeff frowned slightly before following Hazel as she left the main stage. He followed Hazel sadly and stopped, pulling the chain backwards when she turned right instead of left. "What's wrong boy?" She asked and Jeff looked at her with wide eyes as he tried to go left. "No, we're going somewhere new today." She told him and pulled the chain, praising Jeff when he followed hesitantly.

He looked around him quickly as they went a new way, panicking when squeals filled his ears and human voices got louder. "Jeff, Jeff sweetie calm down. They can't hurt you, nobody will hurt you." Hazel comforted the stressed and terrified teenager. The words fell on deaf ears as he pulled against the chain before trying to get the collar off himself, panting as his struggles got weaker as the panic attack stopped.

He became aware of his trainers around him before licking his lips and stiffening when he was dragged onto a stretcher, straps put over his shoulders and tail to keep him in place as he was carried into a small hut where he could hear water lapping against glass. The stretcher was lowered to the floor and he pushed himself up when he was freed from the straps. He looked at the humans with wide eyes before the collar was removed from his neck and Hazel commanded him to climb inside a small tank, two inches of water covering the bottom while a cage door was held open.

He bit his lip and slowly pulled himself into the tank, whimpering when the door clamped shut behind him as the memory of the human trap invaded his mind. He gasped and spun to the door, weaving his fingers through the bars and rattling the door. "Aaron, mom!" He cried and stopped when a hand was put over his.

"Calm down, you're safe." Hazel told him as she looked straight at him. "Copy my breathing." She quietly ordered and Jeff nodded, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "Better?" She asked him and he nodded before swallowing thickly and looking around the small tank, gliding over the floor as he carefully touched the rough plastic of the walls.

"See you tomorrow boy, have a good sleep." He watched as Hazel left the hut, locking the door behind her and Jeff was left alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Jeff stretched as he woke up, sighing happily as his back cracked before rolling onto his stomach and opening his eyes to see bars by his head. He sat up and backed away from the bars, turning to the rough plastic walls. He slowly smoothed the wall and bit his lip as it reminded him of the coral reef and rocks he used to swim through while he swam from Aaron in their childish games.

The hut door opened and Hazel walked in with a smile. "Good morning boy, you sleep well?" She greeted happily and Jeff nodded, hesitantly moving to the bars and watching as she cut some fish and seaweed. The trainers had discovered that he ate seaweed accidently, Hazel had tipped the wrong food into him and he ate the seaweed greedily before even looking at the fish. She smiled as she pulled a tray from the bottom of the bars and put some fish and seaweed on the tray before pushing it back into Jeff, the teenager eating the food happily as she prepared some treats and he knew that something big would be happening. "We have a big day today! Do you want to see your home?" She asked enthusiastically as she walked to a chain on the wall, pulling it down and Jeff startled as part of the wall lifted upwards. "Go on." She encouraged.

Jeff slowly got closer to the opening, looking out hesitantly and saw more of the water covered floor. He slowly left the tank and looked around, the sun beating down on him and wind blew against his face. He looked behind him and saw that there was rough, brightly coloured plastic surrounding the entrance to the small tank with different layers for him to rest on. He pushed himself backwards as he looked at the display and jumped when his tail dipped in water, making him turn around and he saw the floor gradually decline before it reached the glass at 10ft deep with artificial coral and sand littering the bottom. A smile grew on his face and he slipped down the floor, touching the coral and laughing as he swam close to the bottom for it to lightly scratch his chest and stomach. He grinned as he laughed, breaking the water's surface and hauling himself onto the land.

Hazel watched the teenager with a smile, overwhelmed with the pure happiness he showed at having space and the ability to be on shore or underwater. She walked to the other trainers watching and smiled at them. "Have the news crew arrived?" She asked.

"They'll be here in ten minutes, I hope he doesn't panic like he did yesterday." Jess worried and the other trainers agreed, it had been difficult to watch for them but they knew it was worth it to see the glee in the mermaid's eyes as he explored his permanent enclosure. "I'll go into the night house to be there if he needs to get away from the cameras and people." Jess announced as she walked from the front of the enclosure and towards the night house.

Everyone watched Jeff as he climbed the different levels and smiled as the wind blew against his face before waves of voices got closer and louder, indicating that the park had opened and people wanted to see the new display they'd been advertising for the past four weeks. They all walked behind the curtain and faced rows of the public and different news crews setting up their cameras while the presenters looked over notes and listened to their producers through the ear pieces.

"Hazel, you should stay close to him." Harvey told the shorter woman. "He trusts you more than any of us." He added and watched as the woman walked behind the curtain.

Jeff listened intently as voices got louder and merged into a wall of sound, retreating to the bottom of the tank and lowered himself to the sand and coral as he listened to someone calling for attention. He tilted his head and turned towards a knock on the glass, seeing Hazel smiling at him with a hand against the glass. He smiled at her and swam towards her, putting a hand over hers before cheering startled him and the blue curtain surrounding the tank dropped. He covered his eyes as lights flashed rapidly and blocked his ears at the cheering. His eyes darted around as he took in a huge crowd of humans, all of them pointing at him with shock with some cheering and others completely speechless. He pushed against the glass where Hazel was in fear, he'd never seen so many humans before and he knew that he couldn't escape them.

He faced Hazel as she knocked the glass, watching as she pointed to the land and mouthed door. He was confused before the smaller tank came to the front of his mind. He quickly swam to the surface and pulled himself onto the land, looking over his shoulder before entering the small tank away from the humans and reaching for Jess when he saw her. "You're such a good boy." She reassured him as he panted heavily and trembled.

"Away, them go." He stuttered as she held his hand and ran her hand through his hair. He lent against the bars and looked through the doorway. He pulled away from Jess and slowly approached the opening, taking a deep breath before leaving his safe room and flinching when lights flashed in his eyes but he made his way to the water and watched from the bottom as the humans looked at him. He waited for a few moments for one of them to grab him and he swam rapidly towards Hazel, putting a hand to the glass before she could take in the fact he'd gotten to her. "I'm safe?" He asked and she nodded with a reassuring smile.

He backed away from the glass and stiffly swam around the enclosure, stopping in the centre of the tank and watched the humans cheer while he was still.


End file.
